Novartis and India's Biological E sign typhoid pact

Novartis has entered into a development and licensing agreement with Biological E of India for two vaccines to protect against typhoid and paratyphoid fevers.

The Swiss major notes that in just five years, the Novartis Vaccines Institute for Global Health (NVGH) has developed a typhoid vaccine with funding by the Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena and Regione Toscana through the Sclavo Vaccines Association in Italy. In addition, a dual-acting vaccine with components against both typhoid and paratyphoid fevers is being developed with funding from the Wellcome Trust and Novartis says both could reduce the burden of these diseases in endemic regions.

Under the license, NVGH will transfer technology to BioE, which will have responsibility for manufacturing, further clinical development, approval and distribution in the developing world. The typhoid vaccine has produced successful Phase II results, while a combined typhoid-paratyphoid vaccine will be transferred to the Indian group once proof-of-concept is completed.

More than 21 million cases of typhoid fever and five million cases of paratyphoid A fever are reported worldwide per year, especially in areas that lack appropriate sanitation and access to clean water. Many victims are children under the age of two for whom there is no widely available typhoid vaccine; no vaccine is available at all for paratyphoid fever.